Estimating the Population Size of DeGray Lake Hybrid Striped Bass: A Pilot Study

Hybrid Striped Bass are commonly stocked into reservoirs around the southeastern United States to serve an important recreational and ecological role. Despite how commonly Hybrid Striped Bass are stocked, few studies have attempted to evaluate the effectiveness of stocking programs for this species. As a preliminary step in evaluating the Hybrid Striped Bass stocking program in Arkansas, we designed a mark-recapture study to estimate the population size of hybrids in DeGray Lake, Arkansas. Our study consisted of three months of captures (January, February and March 2016) and two months of marking (January and February 2016). During each capture and mark event Hybrid Striped Bass were captured using experimental gillnets and marked using dart tags. Through the duration of this study we marked a total of 341 individuals and captured a total of 698 individuals, of which only one was a recapture. Results of this study provide valuable insight into the effort necessary to refine our estimated population size.